Rank 1

Deer can be found anywhere around the map, and are most common around Van Horn, Annesburg, and directly north of San Denis. As they are always found in large herds, it's usually easy to kill 3 in a single area.

Rank 2

Collect 3 perfect quality rabbit pelts.

Reward: 25 Health XP and $5

Despite its rank, this is actually one of the most difficult challenges due to rabbits being exceptionally difficult to gain perfect pelts from, particularly due to the challenge of clean kills on such a small and fast animal. As such, this is often a good time to get the Legendary deer trinket.

A varmint rifle must be used to get perfect pelts from rabbits. Rabbits can spawn practically anywhere, but their small size makes tracking difficult in wooded areas. Be careful not to trample them with your horse, as this will ruin the pelt. When seeing groups, always prioritize rabbits that are of perfect (3 stars) quality.

Rank 3

Track 10 different animal species using your binoculars.

Reward: Master Hunter Bandolier

Pull out your binoculars, study the animal and then hold the track button while looking at them with your binoculars. The only things you can’t track are birds that fly, and domestic/ farm animals such as cows and dogs.

Rank 4

Call an animal and get a clean kill 5 times.

Reward: 50 Health XP and $10

When you are aimed at the animal you want to kill, press the call button and it will pop its head up. At this point either take the headshot or use Dead eye to make sure you don’t miss. If it takes more than one shot, it isn’t a clean kill. Make sure to be using the correct weapon, or it will not count as a clean kill. Deer are often the easiest choice as they are common, found in packs and have large, easily targeted heads. Legendary animals are *always* considered clean kills, so simply calling and killing any of them will count towards this.

Rank 5

Skin 3 black or grizzly bears.

Reward: 50 Health XP and $10

Use Dead Eye and a powerful Repeater, Rifle or Sniper Rifle to gain head shots and kill the animal easily. Black bears are found north of Strawberry, and Grizzly bears can be found in some places west of Valentine. Keep in mind this challenge does *not* require a perfect pelt, so any weapon can be used in a pinch. Bears have large pelts, so if trying to kill all three in one go, youll either need to have two extra horses or simply leave them behind as the challenge also only requires them to be skinned; pelts can then simply be discarded.

Rank 6

Kill 5 cougars with your bow, then skin them.

Reward: 100 Health XP and $15

Cougars are found near Tumbleweed, both directly north and south of the town. They can also be encountered south west of Blackwater near the water. Track the animal and use Dead Eye for a clean head shot with the bow. A good trick is to bring a wagon, then climb on top to aim, as the cougar cannot attack you. Make sure to stock up on a large supply of improved arrows.

Note: This challenge description is somewhat misleading. There is no requirement for the same five cougars to be killed and skinned, so long as five cougars are killed with a bow, and five cougars are skinned.

Rank 7

Use bait to lure and kill both a herbivore and predator.

Reward: Master Hunter Gun Belt

Bait can be bought at General Stores all across the map. Make sure you hide after you place down the bait, and use Dead Eye for a clean kill if you want, or use a powerful gun and Dead Eye to kill it if you are not concerned about the kill quality.

Rank 8

Catch 3 small fish without using a fishing rod.

Reward: 100 Health XP and $15

Use a bow, thrown weapon or Varmint Rifle near the water's edge. When aiming, wait for the spot to turn red, then use Dead Eye to increase the chances of hitting the fish. Alternatively, have your horse gallop through medium depth water, and it will likely trample several fish near enough to the shore for you to dismount and pick up. Using dynamite will cause any small fish killed to be destroyed without leaving a corpse to pick up.

Rank 10

The Legendary Panther can only be found upon reaching Master Hunter Rank 10. It is directly east of Braithwaite Manor, down by the water. Inspect the 3 clues and use a powerful weapon and head shots to kill it, as kill quality is not applicable when hunting Legendary Animals. Beware that unlike other legendary hunts Giguaro is very agressive and will hunt the player once the 3 clues are collected. Finding high ground or bringing a carriage can help defend the player from its attack.

Red Dead Redemption 2 - Master Hunter Challenge Guide

Trivia

The difficulty progession of this challenge is rather odd, as challenges such as ranks 8 and 9 are *extremely* easy, even for a new player, whereas rank 2 requires heavy knowledge of hunting mechanics

Strangely, while collecting perfect pelts is played as a massively important skill in hunting animals, only one rank (rank 2) actually requires the player to collect perfect pelts.

The final rank of this challenge is very similar to the penultimate hunting challenge in Red Dead Redemption, which required the player to hunt and kill the legendary Jaguar "Khan".